Apparatus for preventing ships from sinking



(N0 Mode 1.)

J. F. FRISBIE. APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SHIPS PROM SINKING. *Na.351,971.

Patented Nov. 2,1886.

Fig.5.

N;PETERS. Pholcljlhngnphur. Washingmn. n. C.

. or sinker, B, and attached to the top of the STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. F-RISBIE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTI NG SHIPS FROM' SINKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 351,971, datedNovember 2, 1886.

Application filed June 9, 1886.

To all whom. ,it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. FRIsBIE, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Preventing Ships from Sinking, of which thefollowing is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enableany person skilled in the art or science to which said inventionappertains to make and use the same, reference be ing had to theaccompanying drawings, form,- ing part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2, avertical transverse section of the same; Fig. 3, a top plan view of oneof the trusses orribs expanded and detached; Fig. 4, a side elevation ofthe same; Fig. 5, a top plan view of one of the trusses or ribscollapsed and detached, and Fig. 6 2. diagram showing the apparatus inposition for use.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the differentfigures of the drawings. My invention relates to that class of apparatuswhich are employed for preventing ships from sinking when their hullsare accidentally pierced or stove in by collision at sea; and itconsisfs in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being toproduce a more effective device of this character than is now inordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understoodby all conversant with such matters from the following explanation, itsextreme simplicity rendering an elaborate description unnecessary.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the apparatus, which consistsin an apron in the form of a sack or bag, and preferably composed ofstout canvas or duck. Disposed in the bottom of the body A there 'isaheavy bar body, at either end thereof, there is a cord, 0, one end ofwhich passes down inside the body and is secured to said sinker, asshown in Fig. 1. Arranged transversely in the body A, above the'sinkerB, there are a series of trusses, D,which may be secured in said body bylacings, rivets,or in any othersuitable manner. These trusses eachcopsist of two metal- Ser'ml No. 204,577. (No model.)

lic springs or fiat bars, a: x, which have their ends firmly rivetedtogether, as shown at z. Hinged at t to the center of one of the springsor bars 00 of each of the trusses there is ashort bar or brace, 'm,which is swung around crosswise of the truss when the apron is in use,'as shown in Fig. 3, and folded flat when not in use, as shown in Fig.5, thereby rendering the truss expansible.

When the brace m is arranged transversely of the truss,the bars orassume the elliptic form shown in Fig. 3, great strength and rigiditybeing thereby imparted to the truss; but when it is arrangedlongitudinally, as shown in Fig. 5, the truss becomes comparativelyflexible and occupies much less space than when expanded, therebyenabling the body A to be readily folded and packed or stored.

The object of connecting the line or cord G to the sinker B is to enablesaid sinker to be raised to any position desired without raising theupper portion of the body A, the lower portion of said body floating asthe sinker is raised. It also'enables the sinker to be raisedindependently of the sack, relieving the strain which would be exertedon the canvas sack if the sinker had to be raised by drawing up thesack.

In the use'of my improvement the apron is 80 prepared to be lowered bymoving the braces m into the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby expandingthe trusses D, after which it is lowered over the side of the ship bythe cords O in such a position as to cover the aperture pro- 8 5 ducedby the col1ision,thereby stopping the leak in a manner which will bereadily obvious without a more explicit description;

Ido not confine myselfto the use ofthesinker B, as the trusses may bemade sufficiently 9o heavy to sink the body, or a sinker of any othersuitable form be used. Neither do I confine myself to the use of thebrace m, arranged as shown, as any suitable means may be employed forexpanding the truss, nor to con- 5 necting one end of the cord 0 to thesinker, as an independent cord may be used for the sinker; or the sinkermay be used withouta cord.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device forpreventing ships from sinking, the combination of the body or sack A,composed of canvas, the truss D, consisting of the bars or, joined attheir ends andprovided at the center with the hinged brace m, said trussbeing disposed within said body, and cords attached to said body forraising and lowering the same, substantially as described.

2. In a device for preventing ships from sinking, the combination of thebody or sack A, composed of canvas and provided with the sinker B,disposed in the bottom thereof, the trusses D, consisting of the bars41, joined at their ends and provided at their centers with hingedbraces at, said trusses being disposed within said body, and cordsattached to said body for raising and lowering the same, substantial] yas set forth.

3. In a device for preventing ships from sinking, the combination of thebody or sack A, composed of canvas, the trusses D, consist ing of thebars m, joined at their ends and provided at their centers with hingedbraces m, said trusses being disposed within said body, the sinker B,disposed in the bottom of said JOSEPH F. raisins.

.\\itnesses:

O. M. SHAW, E. L. SAWYER.

body, and the cords G, connected to said body, 2 5 v

